©Stina Lindenblatt
As you know, I love craft books on writing. As part of a somewhat regular feature, I’m sharing quotes that deal with a particular element. Today’s element is tension.
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Many authors feel it is important to portray what is going on in their character’s heads, but they forget that much of that material has already been felt and thought by the reader. Rehashing what is already obvious does not heighten it. It merely saps tension. Exposition is a time for what is new: extra questions, fresh anxiety, unforeseen angles. Think of exposition as plot turns. It’s just plot that plays out in the mind.
The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass (page 228)
Here’s an easy equation for maintaining tension throughout your story: Change equals tension . . . . The best changes throw the protagonist off balance, while the ensuing changes keep her tilting further off as she struggles to right herself, but never quite succeeds. If the change tips toward a positive outcome, it needs to eventually turn sour. You might want to keep another formula in mind: Change equals torment. Torment your characters, and tension must result.
Between the Lines: Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing by Jessica Page Morrell (page 253)
You can’t build every plot completely around the emotional conflict, but every plot needs to highlight that conflict whenever possible. The more complicated your plot is, the more threads you have going on at once; however, emotional tension should underlie everything that’s happening. The emotional conflict should always be in the characters’ and the readers’ minds.
Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies by Leslie Wainger (page 88)
Every scene in your novel should have tension, whether that comes from outright conflict or the inner turmoil of character emotions. You create outer tension by remembering scene structure and giving the POV character a scene objective. What does he want, and why? It has to matter to him, or it won’t matter to us. Next, what keeps him from the goal? It may be the opposing actions of another character, or a circumstance in which he finds himself. Finally, make most scenes come out with the character suffering a set-back. This ratchets up the tension for the scenes to follow.
Even in scenes that are relatively quiet, characters can feel inner tension—worry, concern, irritability, anxiety.
Revision & Self-Editing by James Scott Bell (page 75)
Do you find it challenging to drip tension on every page, or it something that comes easily to you?